Ravello, italy

After spending two adventurous days in the town of Amalfi, it was time to head to the hillside town of Ravello, our final stop along the Amalfi coast. Our hotel was located just outside Ravello in the town of Scala, the oldest town in the Amalfi region. We grabbed a taxi to take us to our next hotel called Palazzo Pascal. Along the way, our driver informed us the name Scala translated to ‘stairs’ in English. Oh yay, more stairs. Good thing we got lots of practice in Positano!

When we pulled up to our hotel, we could see the sweeping views of Ravello and the surrounding hilltop towns. Unreal! To top it off there were three donkeys getting strapped with luggage at the top of the staircase that leads down to our hotel. I guess that’s how the tourists get their bags to their hotel rooms instead of trying to drag them down the steep stairs and busting off wheels. I asked if we could ride the donkeys into town, but they just laughed at me.

When we opened the door to the lobby, the first thing we noticed were all the photos on the wall of celebrities that had stayed at the hotel. Apparently, this is the place to be! We dropped off our bags at the front desk and asked the receptionist the best way to get to Ravello. She told us we can either walk about 30 minutes along a narrow hilly road or she could call a local moped company to see if they’d deliver one to our hotel. Moped it is!

As we waited for it to be delivered, we figured we’d explore Scala. We zigzagged down an insanely steep hill toward the ruins of an old church called Basilica Sant’Eustachio that was constructed in the 12the century. We explored the church grounds for a bit but knew we didn’t have much time before our moped arrived so headed back up the steep hill.

Once our moped was delivered, we cruised over to Ravello and parked near the main square. With no agenda we just started walking down a random alley and came across a restaurant tucked away with sweeping views of Amalfi and Scala. We grabbed a table and both ordered a little fried pizza that was on point!

Once we were stuffed, we made our way over to Villa Cimbrone per the recommendation of our taxi driver. It’s a historic villa dating back to the 11th century and is known for its gorgeous gardens and dramatic views. It’s also a luxury hotel with an upscale bar and restaurant. There are so many impressive elements from all over the world to see including fountains, statues, temples and pavilions.  We enjoyed exploring and of course taking silly pictures as we went.
 
After checking out all the sights, our feet were ready for a break. We made our way to the boujee bar inside the gardens for a drink. Our server recommended their cocktail of the day which was a refreshing summer concoction that included green tea, local limoncello and foam on top. So good! While we were sitting there, a big white cloud blew through and dropped the temp down about 10 degrees. but it was awesome to feel like we were up in the clouds.

Once the cloud passed, we were ready to check out more of Ravello. We strolled back through the town and stumbled upon a gelato shop. I couldn’t possibly leave Italy without having gelato! There were so many flavors to choose but I landed on a small scoop of the coffee flavored gelato. Just heavenly!

Once we had seen the whole town, we jumped on our moped and headed back through the narrow winding streets to our hotel. It was our last day in Italy and we were both ready for some relax time. We got our swim suits on and spent the rest of the afternoon lounging by the pool that overlooked the nearby cliffside towns. Now that’s what I’m talking about! 

​As soon as the sun went behind our building, we headed up to our room to get ready for dinner. The restaurant called Gli Ulivi was conveniently located at our hotel and overlooked the stunning Ravello hillside. We enjoyed our last authentic Italian meal on our trip. Every meal we’ve had in Italy has been top notch!

The Amalfi coast has been an absolute blast and we highly recommend visiting this gorgeous place! Our time here has come to an end and tomorrow we’ll be heading to London for a day layover on our way back to Seattle. 
 
Next stop: London